No chiller method

[Aussie Steve]

This has been a hot topic, that’s now way out of hand, on AHB, (an Aussie brew forum). Has this topic been discussed on this site yet?
This method involves brewing a normal brew and instead of chilling with an immersion chiller of counter flow just transferring the hot wort straight from the kettle to a HDPE cube (jerry can) and leaving to cool overnight. Then you can transfer to a fermenter, aerate and pitch a yeast at your leisure.
This method has worked great for me as I can punch out 2 brews and ferment at a later date.
The theory of this method is by transferring the hot wort while it is still above 90 deg C the wort will sanitise the cube.
What are your thoughts? Has anyone tried it?

Steve

[awalker]

I know it has been discussed at length on the brewing network forum. Dont think it has on here yet but it could be before my time!

It does seem a good idea if you cannot fit in a full brew day.
Or you do not have space in fermenter's or only enough temperature control for one fermenter.

But for most it might only knock off 20-60 minutes of a brew day.
So once you have got that far you may as well finish.

[Barley Water]

Well I guess if that method works for you then there is no reason not to keep doing it. I however would probably pass on that technique for at least three reasons. First of all, as you correcly point out there is an increased risk of infection. I really get upset when I spend the time and effort needed for make an all grain beer that is undrinkable (and I have partaken is some serious swill in my time to avoid throwing out beer). The second reason is that I try and cool down the wort as quickly as possible to increase the cold break so I can rack the cool wort off of it. Especially with light beers I think this really helps with the flavor, specifically avoiding off flavors. Thirdly, and maybe most important, I don't like any process that involves lifting or moving hot liquid, epecially 5 or 10 gallons.

We never talk about it but there is a little bit of danger involved when you boil up a lot of liquid and additionally employ electricity and maybe propane (in my case all at the same time). I don't know about you guys but I am pretty sure my wife will shut down my brewery the first time I light the house on fire with my hobbies. She really got pissed the time I plugged up the kitchen sink with spent hops so I know she would be less than understanding if I got seriously scalded or electrocuted. I know I have a couple of things with my set up that I need to be careful of but I really try and avoid potentially dangerous situations. As they always used to say in the old TV show Hill Street Blues, "everyone just be careful out there".

[PGSteamer]

Not wishing to sidetrack too much from the discussion here: does anyone know when wort chilling first came into general practice amoungst commercial breweries?

I'd be interested to learn when it was first introduced and by whom. The Barclay Perkins blog has got me very interested in brewing history and I'm curious as to how modern wort chilling is. Is it that essential to traditional styles? Is it an offshoot from the pilsner movement?

[iowalad]

I think Graham in his book Brew Your Own British Ale suggests that leaving the wort overnight to coolas an option. He points out that crash cooling gives better hot break.

I left it overnight once. I can't say I noted anything wrong with my beer. It was one of my early brewing attempts (extract).

[drsmurto]

It should be noted that some of my fellow AHB forum members advocate leaving the unfermented wort for months at a time before adding yeast.

i'm not sure much of it has to do with water wastage as cooling water can be easily recycled. The arguments, all 70+ pages of them are to do with infections or the possibility of.

[Dan]

mmmm.... lead lined
those were the days

[oblivious]

mmmm.... lead lined
those were the days

they also added lead acetate to wine to sweeten it

[Vlad the Pale Aler]

I think the main reason this practice became popular in Aus. is because of the water situation, and the guilt associated with wasting our most precious resource.
There are commercial brewers that use this method to produce fresh wort kits for sale, no one is dead yet from drinking one.

[oblivious]

What about using plate chiller, there supposed to be economical on water usage

[delboy]

On my last brew day i was i too and tired and emotional (pissed) to continue beyond the boil, i left it in the boiler outside to cool down overnight, i'll report back on any differnence i notice from chilled brews.
TBH i think it'll be a little hazy but nothing else.

[Graham]

I think Graham in his book Brew Your Own British Ale suggests that leaving the wort overnight to coolas an option. He points out that crash cooling gives better hot break.

I left it overnight once. I can't say I noted anything wrong with my beer. It was one of my early brewing attempts (extract).

I've done it many times; I don't think it really hurts the beer. I used to put the hot wort into a clean and disinfected brewing bucket, fit the lid and either cover the airlock hole with a bit of sticking plaster or fit an airlock. The airlock must be one that works in both directions though, because air is drawn in as the wort cools - some airlocks don't work backwards. I used to use those glass dual-bubbler things, but they don't seem to be available these days. There are some horrible-looking plastic things which should do the same job.

It is no different to what old-style commercial breweries used to do, with their coolships in the attic and external 'refrigerators'. Until the last few years, Excise regulations meant that the cooled wort could be hanging around in an open fermentor for twelve hours waiting for the Excise man to turn up before the yeast could be pitched.

[drsmurto]

I dont see how water usage can be used as a justification of no chilling. If you re-use or collect the water after using it for chilling you arent wasting it.

I no chill overnight but wont be doing it for longer - the fresh wort kits people talk about are packaged on 'sterile' production lines, not in someones uber clean shed........

I would be extremely hesitant about doing it in a high humidity environment.....

[toplad]

i leave my wort over night all the time, only because i am generally to pissed to cool or just tired. i generally get a good clean, clear beer.

[Jim]

When I was at my old house I just used to stick the hot wort in the fermentor, bung the lid on and stick it in a bath full of cold water. It used to take several hours to cool to pitching temperature, but the beer was fine.

I only switched to using a chiller cos the bathroom's upstairs in my new house and I didn't fancy spilling boiling wort all over my plums while carrying it up the stairs.